Automation has spread from within financial institutions, to networking among financial institutions, and now to consumers themselves. Consumers or bank customers can now electronically access information and make changes to their accounts via devices such as automatic teller machines (ATMs) and networked computers. For example, customers may access their accounts online (via the Internet) if they have access to a computer and associated software (such as web browser software). Customers can not only transfer funds via their own computers, but also pay bills and conduct other transactions once they have provided the appropriate information or otherwise set up their online account to perform such transactions.
When a customer moves from one bank to another, however, some problems can arise. Transferring bank account information from one or more financial institutions to a new financial institution require customers to manually close their old bank accounts and to manually reestablish previously existing services at their new bank accounts. Under the new bank accounts, customers manually reestablish information, such as their list of bill pay payees, bill pay payment schedule, scheduled transfers, electronic bills (“eBills”), and automatic debits and credits. The process of manually reestablishing old bank account services at the new bank account can be inefficient and can waste time, energy, and resources. Additional problems, of course, exist.